Display device

ABSTRACT

A display device includes: a substrate including a bending area located between a first region and a second region; an organic layer disposed over the substrate, an upper surface of the organic layer including an uneven surface in the bending area, the uneven surface including a plurality of protrusions; and a conductive layer extending from the first region to the second region across the bending area, the conductive layer being located over the organic layer and including a plurality of through holes.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/270,416 filed Sep. 20, 2016, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2016-0032074, filed on Mar. 17,2016, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures ofwhich are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

An exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept relates to a displaydevice.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

A display device is an output device for presentation of information invisual form. Generally, a display device includes a display portionlocated over a substrate. By bending a portion of the display device,the visibility of the display device at various angles may be increasedand the area of a non-display area of the display device may be reduced.

However, a defect may occur during a process of manufacturing a bentdisplay device such that the life of the display device is reduced.

SUMMARY

According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, a displaydevice includes: a substrate including a bending area located between afirst region and a second region and bent around a bending axis in thebending area; an organic layer disposed over the substrate, an uppersurface of the organic layer including an uneven surface in the bendingarea, the uneven surface including a plurality of protrusions; and aconductive layer extending from the first region to the second regionacross the bending area, the conductive layer being located over theorganic layer and including a plurality of through holes, locations ofthe plurality of through holes being synchronized to locations of theplurality of protrusions.

The display device may further include: an inorganic insulating layerdisposed over the substrate and including an opening or a groove in thebending area, wherein the organic layer is disposed in a portion of theopening or the groove.

Locations of the plurality of through holes may correspond to locationsof the plurality of protrusions.

Locations of the plurality of through holes may correspond to locationsof a plurality of concave portions between the plurality of protrusions.

The plurality of through holes may be arranged in a line in an extensiondirection of the conductive layer.

A first edge of the conductive layer located on a first side of anextension central axis of the conductive layer may comprise firstconcave portions corresponding to spaces between the plurality ofthrough holes, and a second edge of the conductive layer located on asecond side of the extension central axis of the conductive layer maycomprise second concave portions corresponding to the spaces between theplurality of through holes.

The first concave portions may correspond one-to-one with the secondconcave portions.

The plurality of through holes may be arranged in an extension directionof the conductive layer and comprise a plurality of first through holesand a plurality of second through holes, respective centers of theplurality of first through holes may be located on a first side of anextension central axis of the conductive layer, and respective centersof the plurality of second through holes may be located on a second sideof the extension central axis.

The plurality of first through holes and the plurality of second throughholes may be alternately disposed in the extension direction.

A first edge of the conductive layer located on the second side of theextension central axis may comprise first concave portions correspondingto the plurality of second through holes, and a second edge of theconductive layer located on the first side of the extension central axismay comprise second concave portions corresponding to the plurality offirst through holes.

The plurality of through holes may be arranged in an extension directionof the conductive layer and a lateral direction crossing the extensiondirection.

A number of the plurality of through holes arranged in the lateraldirection may be changed in the extension direction.

N through holes in the lateral direction and m through holes in thelateral direction are alternately arranged in the extension direction.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, a displaydevice includes: a substrate including a bending area located between afirst region and a second region and bent around a bending axis in thebending area; an organic layer disposed over the substrate and includinga plurality of islands spaced apart from each other and disposed in thebending area; and a conductive layer extending from the first region tothe second region across the bending area, the conductive layer beinglocated over the organic layer and including a plurality of throughholes, locations of the plurality of through holes being synchronized tolocations of the plurality of protrusions.

The display device may further include: an inorganic insulating layerdisposed over the substrate and including an opening or a groove in thebending area, the organic layer disposed in a portion of the opening orthe groove.

Each of the plurality of islands may extend in a bending axis directionand the plurality of islands may be spaced apart from each other in adirection crossing the bending axis direction.

Locations of the plurality of through holes may correspond to locationsof the plurality of islands.

Locations of the plurality of through holes may correspond to locationsof spaces between the plurality of islands.

The plurality of through holes may be arranged in a line in an extensiondirection of the conductive layer.

A first edge of the conductive layer located on a first side of anextension central axis of the conductive layer may include first concaveportions corresponding to spaces between the plurality of through holes,and a second edge of the conductive layer located on a second side ofthe extension central axis of the conductive layer may include secondconcave portions corresponding to the spaces between the plurality ofthrough holes.

The first concave portions may correspond one-to-one with the secondconcave portions.

The plurality of through holes are arranged in an extension direction ofthe conductive layer and comprise a plurality of first through holes anda plurality of second through holes, respective centers of the pluralityof first through holes are located on a first side of an extensioncentral axis of the conductive layer, and respective centers of theplurality of second through holes are located on a second side of theextension central axis.

The plurality of first through holes and the plurality of second throughholes may be alternately disposed in the extension direction.

A first edge of the conductive layer located on the second side of theextension central axis may include first concave portions correspondingto the plurality of second through holes, and a second edge of theconductive layer located on the first side of the extension central axismay include second concave portions corresponding to the plurality offirst through holes.

The plurality of through holes may be arranged in an extension directionof the conductive layer and a lateral direction crossing the extensiondirection.

A number of the plurality of through holes arranged in the lateraldirection may change depending on the extension direction.

N through holes in the lateral direction and m through holes in thelateral direction may be alternately arranged in the extensiondirection.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and/or other features of the inventive concept will becomemore apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof,with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a portion of a display deviceaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a portion of the displaydevice of FIG. 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventiveconcept;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a portion of the displaydevice of FIG. 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventiveconcept;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a portion of a display deviceaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a portion of a display deviceaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating a portion of the display device ofFIG. 5 according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 7 is a plan view illustrating a portion of a display deviceaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 8 is a plan view illustrating a portion of a display deviceaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 9 is a plan view illustrating a portion of a display deviceaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating a portion of a display deviceaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 11 is a plan view illustrating a portion of a display deviceaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a portion of a displaydevice according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a portion of a displaydevice according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view illustrating a portion of a display deviceaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept; and

FIG. 15 is a perspective view illustrating a portion of a display deviceaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Exemplary embodiments of the inventive concept will now be describedwith reference to the drawings. This inventive concept may, however, beembodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limitedto the exemplary embodiments set forth herein.

When description is made with reference to the drawings, like referencenumerals in the drawings may denote like or corresponding elements, andrepeated descriptions thereof may be omitted.

It will be understood that when a component, such as a layer, a film, aregion, or a plate, is referred to as being “over” another component,the component can be directly on the other component or interveningcomponents may be present thereon. In addition, sizes of components inthe drawings may be exaggerated for convenience of explanation.

In the following examples, the x-axis, the y-axis and the z-axis are notlimited to three axes of the rectangular coordinate system, and may beinterpreted in a broader sense. For example, the x-axis, the y-axis, andthe z-axis may be perpendicular to one another, or may representdifferent directions that are not perpendicular to one another.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a portion of a display deviceaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, and FIG.2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a portion of the display deviceof FIG. 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, in the display device according to anexemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, a portion of a substrate100, which is a portion of the display device, is bent and thus thedisplay device has a shape partially bent like the substrate 100.Hereinafter, for convenience of illustration, cross-sectional views orplan views of the embodiments will illustrate that the display device isnot bent even though it actually is.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the substrate 100 of the display deviceaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept has abending area BA extending in a first direction (+y direction). Thebending area BA is located between a first region 1A and a second region2A in a second direction (+x direction) crossing the first direction. Inaddition, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the substrate 100 is bent around abending axis BAX extending in the first direction (+y direction). Thesubstrate 100 may include various materials having a flexible orbendable characteristic. For example, the substrate 100 may include apolymer resin such as polyethersulphone (PES), polyacrylate (PAR),polyetherimide (PEI), polyethylenen naphthalate (PEN),polyethyleneterephthalate (PET), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS),polyarylate, polyimide (PI), polycarbonate (PC), or cellulose acetatepropionate (CAP).

The first region 1A includes a display area DA. The first region 1A mayinclude a portion of a non-display area outside the display area DA inaddition to the display area DA as illustrated in FIG. 2. The displayarea DA may extend to the bending area BA. In addition, the secondregion 2A may include the non-display area.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, not only a display element 300 but also a thinfilm transistor (TFT) 210 electrically connected to the display element300 may be located in the display area DA of the substrate 100. FIG. 2illustrates that an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) as the displayelement 300 is located in the display area DA. A configuration in whichthe OLED is electrically connected to the TFT 210 may be understood as aconfiguration in which a pixel electrode 310 is electrically connectedto the TFT 210. A TFT may be disposed also in a circumferential regionoutside the display area DA of the substrate 100. The TFT located in thecircumferential region may be a portion of a circuit portion forcontrolling an electric signal applied to the display area DA, forexample.

The TFT 210 may include a semiconductor layer 211, a gate electrode 213,a source electrode 215 a, and a drain electrode 215 b includingamorphous silicon, polycrystalline silicon, or an organic semiconductormaterial. To secure insulation from the semiconductor layer 211 and thegate electrode 213, a gate insulating layer 120 including an inorganicmaterial such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, and/or siliconoxynitride may be disposed between the semiconductor layer 211 and thegate electrode 213. In addition, an interlayer insulating layer 130including an inorganic material such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride,and/or silicon oxynitride may be disposed over the gate electrode 213.The source electrode 215 a and the drain electrode 215 b may be disposedover the interlayer insulating layer 130. The insulating layer 120 or130 including an inorganic material may be formed by using chemicalvapor deposition (CVD) or atomic layer deposition (ALD). The same may beapplied to embodiments described below and variants thereof.

A buffer layer 110 including an inorganic material such as siliconoxide, silicon nitride, and/or silicon oxynitride may be disposedbetween the TFT 210 and the substrate 100. The buffer layer 110 mayincrease a planarization characteristic of the upper surface of thesubstrate 100, or prevent or minimize impurities of the substrate 100,etc. from penetrating into the semiconductor layer 211 of the TFT 210.

In addition, a planarization layer 140 may be disposed over the TFT 210.For example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, in the case where an OLED isdisposed over the TFT 210, the planarization layer 140 may planarize theupper portion of a protective layer covering the TFT 210. Theplanarization layer 140 may include an organic material such as acryl,benzocyclobutene (BCB), or hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO). Although FIG. 2illustrates the planarization layer 140 is a single layer, theplanarization layer 140 may be a multi-layer and may be changedvariously. In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the planarizationlayer 140 includes an opening outside the display area DA to allow aportion of the planarization layer 140 in the display area DA to bephysically separated from a portion of the planarization layer 140 inthe second region 2A. This is done to prevent external impurities fromreaching the inside of the display area DA via the inside of theplanarization layer 140.

In the display area DA of the substrate 100, an OLED including the pixelelectrode 310, an opposite electrode 330, and an intermediate layer 320disposed between the pixel electrode 310 and the opposite electrode 330and including an emission layer may be located over the planarizationlayer 140. The pixel electrode 310 is electrically connected to the TFT210 by contacting one of the source electrode 215 a and the drainelectrode 215 b via an opening formed in the planarization layer 140 asillustrated in FIG. 2.

A pixel-defining layer 150 may be disposed over the planarization layer140. The pixel-defining layer 150 defines a pixel by including anopening corresponding to sub-pixels, in other words, an opening exposingat least the central portion of the pixel electrode 310. In addition, ina case illustrated in FIG. 2, the pixel-defining layer 150 prevents anarc, etc. from occurring at the edge of the pixel electrode 310 byincreasing a distance between the edge of the pixel electrode 310 andthe opposite electrode 330 over the pixel electrode 310. Thepixel-defining layer 150 may include an organic material such aspolyimide (PI) or hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO).

The intermediate layer 320 of the OLED may include a low molecularmaterial or a polymer material. In the case where the intermediate layer320 includes a low molecular material, the intermediate layer 320 mayhave a structure in which a hole injection layer (HIL), a hole transportlayer (HTL), an emission layer (EML), an electron transport layer (ETL),an electron injection layer (EIL), etc. are stacked in a single orcomposite structure. The intermediate layer 320 may include variousorganic materials such as copper phthalocyanine (CuPc),N,N′-Di(naphthalene-1-yl)-N,N′-diphenyl-benzidine (NPB), andtris-8-hydroxyquinoline aluminum (Alq3). These layers may be formed byusing a vacuum deposition method.

In the case where the intermediate layer 320 includes a polymermaterial, the intermediate layer 320 may have a structure including anHTL and an EML. In this case, the HTL may include a PEDOT, and the EMLmay include a polymer material such as a poly-phenylenevinylene(PPV)-based material and a polyfluorene-based material. The intermediatelayer 320 may be formed by using screen printing, an inkjet printingmethod, or laser induced thermal imaging (LITI), etc.

It is to be understood, however, that the intermediate layer 320 is notnecessarily limited thereto and may have various structures. Inaddition, the intermediate layer 320 may include a layer integrallyformed over a plurality of pixel electrodes 310 and include a layerpatterned to correspond to the plurality of pixel electrodes 310.

The opposite electrode 330 is disposed over the display area DA and maycover the display area DA as illustrated in FIG. 2. In other words, theopposite electrode 330 may be integrally formed over a plurality ofOLEDs and may correspond to the plurality of pixel electrodes 310.

Since the OLED may be damaged by external moisture or oxygen, etc., anencapsulation layer 400 may protect the OLEDs by covering the OLEDs. Theencapsulation layer 400 may cover the display area DA and extend to theouter side of the display area DA. As illustrated in FIG. 2, theencapsulation layer 400 may include a first inorganic encapsulationlayer 410, an organic encapsulation layer 420, and a second inorganicencapsulation layer 430.

The first inorganic encapsulation layer 410 may cover the oppositeelectrode 330 and include silicon oxide, silicon nitride, and/or siliconoxynitride. Other layers such as a capping layer, etc. may be disposedbetween the first inorganic encapsulation layer 410 and the oppositeelectrode 330. Since the first inorganic encapsulation layer 410 isformed along a structure therebelow, the upper surface of the firstinorganic encapsulation layer 410 is not planarized as illustrated inFIG. 2. The organic encapsulation layer 420 may cover the firstinorganic encapsulation layer 410. Unlike the first inorganicencapsulation layer 410, the upper surface of the organic encapsulationlayer 420 may be planarized. For example, the upper surface of theorganic encapsulation layer 420 may be approximately planarized in aportion corresponding to the display area DA. The organic encapsulationlayer 420 may include at least one of polyethyleneterephthalate (PET),polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polycarbonate (PC), polyimide (PI),polyethylenesulphonate, polyoxymethylene (POM), polyacrylate (PAR), andhexamethyldisiloxane. The second inorganic encapsulation layer 430 maycover the organic encapsulation layer 420 and include silicon oxide,silicon nitride, and/or silicon oxynitride. The second inorganicencapsulation layer 430 may allow the organic encapsulation layer 420not to be exposed to the outside by contacting the first inorganicencapsulation layer 410 at the edge thereof located outside the displayarea DA.

Since the encapsulation layer 400 includes the first inorganicencapsulation layer 410, the organic encapsulation layer 420, and thesecond inorganic encapsulation layer 430, even when a crack occursinside the encapsulation layer 400, the crack may not be connectedbetween the first inorganic encapsulation layer 410 and the organicencapsulation layer 420 or between the organic encapsulation layer 420and the second inorganic encapsulation layer 430. This way, a paththrough which external moisture or oxygen, etc. penetrates into thedisplay area DA may be prevented or minimized from being formed.

A process of forming a touch electrode of various patterns for atouchscreen function, or a touch protective layer for protecting thetouch electrode over the encapsulation layer 400 may be furtherperformed. The touch electrode or the touch protective layer may beformed over the encapsulation layer 400 by using a process such asdeposition. The display device may have a touchscreen function byattaching a touch panel having a touch electrode, etc. over theencapsulation layer 400. It is to be understood that various touchscreenconfigurations may be made.

A polarization plate 520 may be located over the encapsulation layer 400by using an optically clear adhesive (OCA) 510. The polarization plate520 may reduce reflection of external light. For example, external lightpasses through the polarization plate 520, is reflected by the uppersurface of the opposite electrode 330, and then, passes through thepolarization plate 520 again. In this case, since the external lightpasses through the polarization plate 520 two times, the phase of theexternal light may change. As a result, destructive interference mayoccur by since the phase of the reflected light is different from thephase of the external light entering the polarization plate 520.However, visibility may be increased by reducing the external lightreflection. The OCA 510 and the polarization plate 520 may cover anopening of the planarization layer 140 as illustrated in FIG. 2. Thedisplay device according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventiveconcept does not always have to include the polarization plate 520.Accordingly, the polarization plate 520 may be omitted and replaced withanother element. For example, the display device may omit thepolarization plate 520 and reduce the external light reflection by usinga black matrix and a color filter.

In addition, the buffer layer 110, the gate insulating layer 120, andthe interlayer insulating layer 130 including an inorganic material maybe referred to as an inorganic insulating layer. The inorganicinsulating layer includes an opening corresponding to the bending areaBA as illustrated in FIG. 2. In other words, the buffer layer 110, thegate insulating layer 120, and the interlayer insulating layer 130 mayrespectively include openings 110 a, 120 a, and 130 a corresponding tothe bending area BA. Since the opening corresponds to the bending areaBA, the opening may overlap the bending area BA. In this case, the areaof the opening may be larger than the area of the bending area BA. Forexample, FIG. 2 illustrates that the width OW of the opening is greaterthan the width of the bending area BA. In this case, the area of theopening may correspond to the area of an opening having a smallest areafrom among the openings 110 a, 120 a, and 130 a of the buffer layer 110,the gate insulating layer 120, and the interlayer insulating layer 130.FIG. 2 illustrates the area of the opening corresponds to the area ofthe opening 110 a of the buffer layer 110.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the area of the opening 120 a ofthe gate insulating layer 120 may be greater than the area of theopening 110 a of the buffer layer 110. However, an exemplary embodimentof the inventive concept is not limited thereto and the inner lateralsurface of the opening 110 a of the buffer layer 110 may coincide withthe inner lateral surface of the opening 120 a of the gate insulatinglayer 120 (see FIG. 12).

The display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventiveconcept includes an organic layer 160 filling at least a portion of theopening of the inorganic insulating layer. FIG. 2 illustrates that theorganic layer 160 completely fills the opening. In addition, the displaydevice according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive conceptincludes a conductive layer 215 c. The conductive layer 215 c extendsfrom the first region 1A to the second region 2A by way of the bendingarea BA and is located over the organic layer 160. The conductive layer215 c may be located over the inorganic insulating layer such as theinterlayer insulating layer 130 in a region where the organic layer 160does not exist. The conductive layer 215 c may include the same materialas that of the source electrode 215 a or the drain electrode 215 b andmay be formed simultaneously with the source electrode 215 a or thedrain electrode 215 b. In the case where the touch electrode is formedover the encapsulation layer 400, the conductive layer 215 c may includethe same material as that of the touch electrode and may be formedsimultaneously with the touch electrode.

The organic layer 160 may include an uneven surface 160 a in at least aportion of an upper surface thereof (in +z direction). Since the organiclayer 160 includes the uneven surface 160 a, the upper surface and/orlower surface of the conductive layer 215 c located over the organiclayer 160 may have a shape corresponding to the uneven surface 160 a ofthe organic layer 160.

As described above, although FIG. 2 illustrates, for convenience ofdescription, that the display device is not bent, the display device isin fact bent in the bending area BA as illustrated in FIG. 1. Forexample, the display device is manufactured such that the substrate 100is approximately planarized as illustrated in FIG. 2, and then, thedisplay device is formed to have the approximate shape illustrated inFIG. 1 by bending the substrate 100, etc. in the bending area BA. Inthis case, during a process in which the substrate 100, etc. are bent inthe bending area BA, a tensile stress may be applied to the conductivelayer 215 c. However, the display device according to an exemplaryembodiment of the inventive concept may prevent or minimize theoccurrence of a defect in the conductive layer 215 c during the bendingprocess.

For example, if the inorganic insulating layer such as the buffer layer110, the gate insulating layer 120 and/or the interlayer insulatinglayer 130 does not have an opening in the bending area BA and has acontinuous shape ranging from the first region 1A to the second region2A and the conductive layer 215 c is located over the inorganicinsulating layer, a large tensile force is applied to the conductivelayer 215 c when the substrate 100, etc. are bent. Particularly, sincethe inorganic insulating layer has hardness higher than that of theorganic layer, there is a high probability that a crack, etc. may occurin the inorganic insulating layer in the bending area BA. When a crackoccurs in the inorganic insulating layer, a crack, etc. may also occurin the conductive layer 215 c over the inorganic insulating layer, andthus, a probability that a defect such as a disconnection of theconductive layer 215 c is high.

However, in the display device according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe inventive concept, the inorganic insulating layer has the opening inthe bending area BA, and a portion of the conductive layer 215 c thatcorresponds to the bending area BA is located over the organic layer 160filling at least a portion of the opening of the inorganic insulatinglayer. Since the inorganic insulating layer has the opening in thebending area BA, a probability that a crack may occur in the inorganicinsulating layer is low, and further, since the organic layer 160includes an organic material, a probability that a crack may occur islow. Therefore, the display device according to an exemplary embodimentof the inventive concept may prevent or minimize the occurrence of acrack, etc. in a portion of the conductive layer 215 c corresponding tothe bending area BA and located over the organic layer 160. In addition,since the organic layer 160 has a hardness less than that of theinorganic layer, the organic layer 100 may effectively minimize tensilestress concentrated at the conductive layer 215 c by absorbing thetensile stress generated by the bending of the substrate 100, etc.

Furthermore, the display device according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe inventive concept may minimize the amount of tensile stress appliedto the conductive layer 215 c by allowing the upper surface and/or lowersurface of the conductive layer 215 c to have a shape corresponding tothe uneven surface 160 a of the organic layer 160. In other words, thedisplay device according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventiveconcept may reduce a tensile stress that may occur during a bendingprocess via deformation of the organic layer 160 having a low strength.In this case, the display device may effectively prevent a defect suchas the disconnection of the conductive layer 215 c by allowing theconductive layer 215 c to be deformed in correspondence with the organiclayer 160 during the bending.

In addition, the surface area of the upper surface of the organic layer160 and the surface areas of the upper and lower surfaces of theconductive layer 215 c inside the opening may increase by forming theuneven surface 160 a in at least a portion of the upper surface (in +zdirection) of the organic layer 160. Since the surface areas of theupper surface of the organic layer 160 and the upper and lower surfacesof the conductive layer 215 c are wide a margin by which the organiclayer 160 and the conductive layer 215 c may be deformed (to reduce thetensile stress from bending the substrate 100) increases.

In addition, the conductive layer 215 c may be effectively preventedfrom being damaged or a probability that the conductive layer 215 c isdamaged may be minimized by allowing the conductive layer 215 c toinclude a plurality of through holes 215 d (see FIG. 3) as will bedescribed below. Since the conductive layer 215 c includes a pluralityof through holes 215 d, the flexibility of the conductive layer 215 cincreases, and thus, even when a tensile stress occurs during a bendingprocess, the occurrence of a defect such as disconnection of theconductive layer 215 c may be effectively prevented. Although FIG. 2does not illustrate the through holes 215 d inside the conductive layer215 c, for convenience of description, FIG. 2 may be understood asillustrating only a portion of the conductive layer 215 c in which theplurality of through holes 215 d are not located.

The uneven surface 160 a of the upper surface (in +z direction) of theorganic layer 160 may be formed by using various methods. For example, aphotoresist material is used when forming the organic layer 160. In thiscase, a specific portion may be etched (removed) relatively further thanother portions by differing the amount of exposure applied to aplurality of portions of the organic layer 160 whose upper surface isapproximately planarized via a slit mask or a half-tone mask during amanufacturing process. Here, the further etched portion may be a concaveportion in the upper surface of the organic layer 160. The method usedwhen manufacturing the display device according to an exemplaryembodiment of the inventive concept is not limited to the just describedmethod. For example, after the organic layer 160 whose upper surface isapproximately planarized is formed, only a specific portion thereof maybe removed by using dry etching, etc.

To allow the organic layer 160 to include the uneven surface 160 a inthe upper surface thereof (in +z direction), the organic layer 160 mayinclude a plurality of grooves extending in the first direction (+ydirection) in the upper surface thereof (in +z direction). In this case,the shape of the upper surface of the conductive layer 215 c over theorganic layer 160 corresponds to the shape of the upper surface of theorganic layer 160 (in other words, the uneven surface 160 a).

The organic layer 160 may include the uneven surface 160 a inside onlythe opening of the inorganic insulating layer. FIG. 2 illustrates thatthe width UEW of a portion including the uneven surface 160 a of theorganic layer 160 is narrower than the width OW of the opening of theinorganic insulating layer.

If the organic layer 160 includes the uneven surface 160 a inside andoutside the opening of the inorganic insulating layer, it is understoodthat the organic layer 160 includes the uneven surface 160 a in theneighborhood of the inner surface of the opening 110 a of the bufferlayer 110, the inner surface of the opening 120 a of the gate insulatinglayer 120, or the inner surface of the opening 130 a of the interlayerinsulating layer 130. Since a portion of the organic layer 160corresponding to the concave portion of the uneven surface 160 a has arelatively thin thickness compared to the thickness of a portion of theorganic layer 160 that protrudes from the base of the opening of theinorganic insulating layer, if the concave portion is located in theinner surface of the opening 110 a of the buffer layer 110, the innersurface of the opening 120 a of the gate insulating layer 120, or theinner surface of the opening 130 a of the interlayer insulating layer130, the organic layer 160 may not be continuously connected anddisconnected. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the organic layer 160from being disconnected in the neighborhood of the inner surface of theopening 110 a of the buffer layer 110, the inner surface of the opening120 a of the gate insulating layer 120, or the inner surface of theopening 130 a of the interlayer insulating layer 130 by providing theorganic layer 160 with the uneven surface 160 a only inside the openingof the inorganic insulating layer.

As described above, to prevent disconnection, etc. of the conductivelayer 215 c from occurring in the bending area BA, the organic layer 160may include the uneven surface 160 a in the bending area BA. Therefore,the area of a portion including the uneven surface 160 a of the organiclayer 160 may be wider than the area of the bending area BA but narrowerthan the area of the opening. This is illustrated in FIG. 2 in which thewidth UEW of the portion including the uneven surface 160 a of theorganic layer 160 is wider than the width of the bending area BA andnarrower than the width OW of the opening.

The display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventiveconcept may further include additional conductive layers 213 a and 213 bin addition to the conductive layer 215 c. The additional conductivelayers 213 a and 213 b may be disposed in the first area 1A or thesecond area 2A such that the additional conductive layers 213 a and 213b are located in a layer different from the layer in which theconductive layer 215 c is located. The additional conductive layers 213a and 213 b may be electrically connected to the conductive layer 215 c.FIG. 2 illustrates that the additional conductive layers 213 a and 213 binclude the same material as that of the gate electrode 213 of the TFT210 and are located in the same layer in which the gate electrode 213 isdisposed, in other words, over the gate insulating layer 120. Inaddition, FIG. 2 illustrates that the conductive layer 215 c contactsthe additional conductive layers 213 a and 213 b via contact holesformed in the interlayer insulating layer 130. In addition, FIG. 2illustrates that the additional conductive layer 213 a is located in thefirst region 1A, and the additional conductive layer 213 b is located inthe second region 2A.

The additional conductive layer 213 a located in the first region 1A maybe electrically connected to the TFT, etc. inside the display area DA,and thus, the conductive layer 215 c may be electrically connected tothe TFT, etc. inside the display area DA via the additional conductivelayer 213 a. The additional conductive layer 213 b located in the secondregion 2A may be also electrically connected to the TFT, etc. inside thedisplay area DA via the conductive layer 215 c. As described above, theadditional conductive layers 213 a and 213 b may be electricallyconnected to elements located inside the display area DA even thoughthey are located outside the display area DA, and may extend toward thedisplay area DA and at least a portion thereof may be located inside thedisplay area DA while they are located outside the display area DA.

As described above, although FIG. 2 illustrates that the display deviceis not bent, for convenience of description, the display deviceaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept includesthe substrate 100, etc. that are actually bent in the bending area BA asillustrated in FIG. 1. To accomplish this, the display device ismanufactured such that the substrate 100 is approximately planarizedduring a manufacturing process as illustrated in FIG. 2, and then, thedisplay device is given the shape illustrated in FIG. 1 by bending thesubstrate 100, etc. in the bending area BA. In this case, while thesubstrate 100, etc. are bent in the bending area BA, a tensile stressmay be applied to elements located inside the bending area BA.

Therefore, the occurrence of a defect such as a crack in the conductivelayer 215 c or a disconnection of the conductive layer 215 c may beprevented by providing the conductive layer 215 c crossing the bendingarea BA with a material having a high elongation. In addition, theefficiency of electric signal transfer may increase in the displaydevice or a defect occurrence ratio during the manufacturing processthereof may reduce by forming the additional conductive layers 213 a and213 b by using a material having an elongation lower than that of theconductive layer 215 c but having electrical/physical characteristicsdifferent from those of the conductive layer 215 c in the first region1A or the second region 2A. For example, the additional conductivelayers 213 a and 213 b may include Mo, and the conductive layer 215 cmay include Al. The conductive layer 215 c or the additional conductivelayers 213 a and 213 b may have a multi-layered structure.

Unlike FIG. 2, the additional conductive layer 213 b located in thesecond region 2A may be electrically connected to various electronicdevices or a printed circuit board, etc. by not covering at least aportion of the upper surface thereof with the planarization layer 140,etc., but rather exposing it to the outside.

In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the organic layer 160 may coverthe inner surface of the opening of the inorganic insulating layer. Asdescribed above, the conductive layer 215 c may include the samematerial as that of the source electrode 215 a and the drain electrode215 b and may be formed simultaneously with the source electrode 215 aand the drain electrode 215 b. For example, after a conductive layer isformed over the entire surface of the substrate 100, the sourceelectrode 215 a, the drain electrode 215 b, and the conductive layer 215c may be formed by patterning the conductive layer. If the organic layer160 does not cover the inner surface of the opening 110 a of the bufferlayer 110, the inner surface of the opening 120 a of the gate insulatinglayer 120, or the inner surface of the opening 130 a of the interlayerinsulating layer 130, conductive materials may not be removed but remainon the inner surface of the opening 110 a of the buffer layer 110, theinner surface of the opening 120 a of the gate insulating layer 120, orthe inner surface of the opening 130 a of the interlayer insulatinglayer 130 while the conductive layer is patterned. In this case, theremaining conductive materials may cause a short circuit between theother conductive layers.

Therefore, while the organic layer 160 is formed, the organic layer 160may cover the inner lateral surface of the opening of the inorganicinsulating layer. For reference, although FIG. 2 illustrates that theorganic layer 160 has a uniform thickness, the organic layer 160 mayhave different thicknesses depending on its location. For example, theslope of the upper surface of the organic layer 160 may be slight in theneighborhood of the inner surface of the opening 110 a of the bufferlayer 110, the inner surface of the opening 120 a of the gate insulatinglayer 120, or the inner surface of the opening 130 a of the interlayerinsulating layer 130. Therefore, a conductive material that might needto be removed may already be removed during a process of patterning theconductive layer to form the source electrode 215 a, the drain electrode215 b, and the conductive layer 215 c.

In addition, a stress neutralization layer (SNL) 600 may be locatedoutside the display area DA. In other words, the SNL 600 may be locatedover a portion of the conductive layer 215 c that corresponds to atleast the bending area BA.

When a certain stacked body is bent, a stress neutral plane existsinside the stacked body. If the SNL 600 does not exist, when thesubstrate 100, etc. are bent, an excessive tensile stress, etc. may beapplied on the conductive layer 215 c inside the bending area BA. Thisis because the location of the conductive layer 215 c may not correspondto a stress neutral plane. However, the location of a stress neutralplane may be adjusted in a stacked body including all of the substrate100, the conductive layer 215 c, the SNL 600, etc. by providing the SNL600 and adjusting the thickness, the modulus, etc. of the SNL 600.Therefore, tensile stress applied on the conductive layer 215 c may beminimized by allowing the stress neutral plane to be located in theneighborhood of the conductive layer 215 c via the SNL 600.

Unlike that shown in FIG. 2, the SNL 600 may extend to the edge of thesubstrate 100 of the display device. For example, at least a portion ofthe conductive layer 215 c, the additional conductive layer 213 b,and/or other conductive layers, etc. electrically connected to theselayers may not be covered with the interlayer insulating layer 130 orthe planarization layer 140, etc. and may be electrically connected tovarious electronic devices or a printed circuit board, etc. Accordingly,portions or structures exist to connect the conductive layer 215 c, theadditional conductive layer 213 b, and/or other conductive layerselectrically connected to these layers (215 c and 213 b) to the variouselectronic devices or the printed circuit board, etc. In this case, theelectrically connected portion may be protected from impurities such asexternal moisture, and the SNL 600 may cover the electrically connectedportion and thus also function as a protective layer. For this purpose,the SNL 600 may extend, for example, to the edge of the substrate 100 ofthe display device.

In addition, although FIG. 2 illustrates that the upper surface of theSNL 600 in a display area direction (−x direction) coincides with theupper surface (+z direction) of the polarization plate 520, an exemplaryembodiment of the inventive concept is not limited thereto. For example,the end of the SNL 600 in the display area direction (−x direction) maycover a portion of the edge upper surface of the polarization plate 520.Alternatively, the end of the SNL 600 in the display area direction (−xdirection) may not contact the polarization plate 520 and/or the OCA510. Particularly, in the latter case, during a process of forming theSNL 600 or after the SNL 600 is formed, a gas generated from the SNL 600may be prevented from moving to the display area direction (−xdirection) and deteriorating the display element 300 such as an OLED.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, if the upper surface of the SNL 600 in thedisplay area direction (−x direction) coincides with the upper surface(+z direction) of the polarization plate 520, or the end of the SNL 600in the display area direction (−x direction) covers a portion of theedge of the upper surface of the polarization layer 520, or the end ofthe SNL 600 in the display area direction (−x direction) contacts theOCA 510, the thickness of the portion of the SNL 600 in the display areadirection (−x direction) may be greater than the thickness of the otherportions of the SNL 600. Since a liquefied or paste type material iscoated and cured when forming the SNL 600, the volume of the SNL 600 mayreduce during the curing process. Thus, in the case where the portion ofthe SNL 600 in the display area direction (−x direction) contacts thepolarization plate 520 and/or the OCA 510, since the location of therelevant portion of the SNL 600 is fixed, volume reduction occurs in theremaining portion of the SNL 600. Consequently, the thickness of theportion of the SNL 600 in the display area direction (−x direction) maybe greater than the thickness of the other portions of the SNL 600.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a portion of the displaydevice of FIG. 1, specifically a portion of the conductive layer 215 c,according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept. Asillustrated in FIG. 3, the conductive layer 215 c may include theplurality of through holes 215 d. In this case, the locations of theplurality of through holes 215 d of the conductive layer 215 c may besynchronized with the locations of a plurality of protrusions of theuneven surface 160 a of the organic layer 160. FIG. 3 illustrates thatthe locations of the plurality of through holes 215 d of the conductivelayer 215 c correspond to the locations of the plurality of protrusionsof the uneven surface 160 a of the organic layer 160. For reference,although FIG. 3 does not illustrate the organic layer 160, it can begleaned that the shape of the conductive layer 215 c corresponds to theshape of the uneven surface 160 a of the organic layer 160 as describedabove. Therefore, it may be understood that convex portions in the upperdirection (+z direction) of the conductive layer 215 c correspond toprotrusions of the uneven surface 160 a of the organic layer 160, andconcave portions in the lower direction (−z direction) of the conductivelayer 215 c correspond to concave portions between the protrusions ofthe uneven surface 160 a of the organic layer 160.

As mentioned above, the locations of the plurality of through holes 215d of the conductive layer 215 c may be synchronized with the locationsof the plurality of protrusions of the uneven surface 160 a. Forexample, the locations of the plurality of through holes 215 d of theconductive layer 215 c may correspond to the locations of the pluralityof protrusions of the uneven surface 160 a. In this case, even when atensile stress is applied to the conductive layer 215 c while thesubstrate 100, etc. are bent in the bending area BA, the occurrence of adefect in the conductive layer 215 c may be prevented or minimizedduring the bending process.

When the substrate 100 is bent in the bending area BA, a tensile stressis concentrated on a portion of the conductive layer 215 c correspondingto the protrusions of the uneven surface 160 a of the organic layer 160.However, the display device according to an exemplary embodiment of theinventive concept may effectively prevent or minimize generation of acrack in the conductive layer 215 c or disconnection of the conductivelayer 215 c by making the locations of the plurality of through holes215 d of the conductive layer 215 c correspond to the plurality ofprotrusions of the uneven surface 160 a of the organic layer 160. Thisis because, for example, the through holes 215 d of the conductive layer215 c have increased flexibility.

It is to be understood however, that an exemplary embodiment of theinventive concept is not limited thereto. As illustrated in FIG. 4,which is a perspective view illustrating a portion of a display deviceaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, thelocations of the plurality of through holes 215 d of the conductivelayer 215 c may correspond to a plurality of concave portions of theuneven surface 160 a of the organic layer 160.

When the substrate 100 is bent in the bending area BA, stress isconcentrated on portions of the conductive layer 215 c corresponding tothe concave portions of the uneven surface 160 a of the organic layer160. Particularly, stress in a direction away from the substrate 100 maybe concentrated on those portions of the conductive layer 215 c.However, the display device according to an exemplary embodiment of theinventive concept may effectively prevent or minimize the generation ofa crack in the conductive layer 215 c or the disconnection of theconductive layer 215 c by having the locations of the plurality ofthrough holes 215 d of the conductive layer 215 c correspond to theplurality of concave portions of the uneven surface 160 a of the organiclayer 160. This is because, for example, the through holes 215 d of theconductive layer 215 c have increased flexibility.

For example, an experiment showed that when the locations of theplurality of through holes 215 d of the conductive layer 215 ccorrespond to the plurality of protrusions of the uneven surface 160 aof the organic layer 160, the magnitude of a tensile stress to beapplied to the conductive layer 215 c to disconnect the conductive layer215 c is greater, by about 77.1%, than the magnitude of a tensile stressto be applied to a conductive layer to disconnect the conductive layernot including the plurality of through holes 215 d. In addition, anexperiment showed that when the locations of the plurality of throughholes 215 d of the conductive layer 215 c correspond to the plurality ofconcave portions of the uneven surface 160 a of the organic layer 160,the magnitude of a tensile stress to be applied to the conductive layer215 c to disconnect the conductive layer 215 c is greater, by about77.2%, than the magnitude of a tensile stress to be applied to aconductive layer to disconnect the conductive layer not including theplurality of through holes 215 d. Therefore, as described above, thegeneration of a crack in the conductive layer 215 c or the disconnectionof the conductive layer 215 c may be effectively prevented or minimizedby providing the locations of the plurality of through holes 215 d ofthe conductive layer 215 c to correspond to the plurality of protrusionsor the plurality of concave portions of the uneven surface 160 a of theorganic layer 160.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, which is a perspective view illustrating aportion of a display device according to an exemplary embodiment of theinventive concept, the locations of the plurality of through holes 215 dof the conductive layer 215 c may correspond to both the plurality ofprotrusions and the plurality of concave portions of the uneven surface160 a of the organic layer 160.

For example, an experiment showed that when the locations of theplurality of through holes 215 d of the conductive layer 215 c do notcorrespond to the plurality of protrusions or the plurality of concaveportions but correspond to inclined portions between the uneven surface160 a of the organic layer 160, the magnitude of a tensile stress to beapplied to the conductive layer 215 c to disconnect the conductive layer215 c is greater, by about 69.9%, than the magnitude of a tensile stressto be applied to a conductive layer to disconnect the conductive layernot including the plurality of through holes 215 d. Therefore, althoughthis case also provides an effective technique of preventing crackgeneration or disconnection, configuring the locations of the pluralityof through holes 215 d of the conductive layer 215 c to correspond tothe plurality of protrusions or the plurality of concave portions of theuneven surface 160 a of the organic layer 160 provides a much greatereffect of preventing crack generation or disconnection.

FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating a portion of the display device ofFIG. 5 according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept. Asillustrated, the plurality of through holes 215 d of the conductivelayer 215 c may be arranged in a line along an extension direction (+xdirection) of the conductive layer 215 c. However, the inventive conceptis not limited thereto.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7, which is a plan view illustratinga portion of a display device according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe inventive concept, the plurality of through holes 215 d of theconductive layer 215 c may be arranged in the extension direction (+xdirection) and simultaneously also arranged in a lateral direction (+ydirection) crossing the extension direction (+x direction). In thiscase, the number of plurality of through holes 215 d arranged in thelateral direction (+y direction) may change along the extensiondirection (+x direction) of the conductive layer 215 c. For example, nand m through holes 215 d may be alternately arranged in the extensiondirection (+x direction) of the conductive layer 215 c. FIG. 7illustrates that two through holes 215 d and three through holes 215 dare alternately arranged.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, which is a plan view illustrating a portion ofa display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventiveconcept, the plurality of through holes 215 d of the conductive layer215 c may be arranged in the extension direction (+x direction) of theconductive layer 215 c and may include a plurality of first throughholes 215 d 1 each having a central axis located on one side (−ydirection) of an extension central axis ECA, and a plurality of secondthrough holes 215 d 2 each having a central axis located on the otherside (+y direction) of the extension central axis ECA. In this case, asillustrated in FIG. 8, along the extension direction (+x direction) ofthe conductive layer 215 c, two first through holes 215 d 1 may beadjacent to each other and then two second through holes 215 d 2 may beadjacent to each other. In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 9, which isa plan view illustrating a portion of a display device according to anexemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, a plurality of firstthrough holes 215 d 1 and a plurality of second through holes 215 d 2may be alternately located along the extension direction (+x direction)of the conductive layer 215 c.

FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating the conductive layer 215 c, which isa portion of a display device according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe inventive concept. In the display device of FIG. 10, a first edge215 ce 1 of the conductive layer 215 c located on one side (−ydirection) of an extension central axis ECA of the conductive layer 215c has first concave portions 215 cc 1 corresponding to a space betweenthe plurality of through holes 215 d. In addition, a second edge 215 ce2 of the conductive layer 215 c located on the other side (+y direction)of the extension central axis ECA has second concave portions 215 cc 2corresponding to a space between the plurality of through holes 215 d.Particularly, the first concave portions 215 cc 1 may correspondone-to-one with the second concave portions 215 cc 2 as illustrated inFIG. 10.

In a case of the display device according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe inventive concept, an extension direction in the neighborhood of thethrough hole 215 d of the conductive layer 215 c forms a non-zero anglewith respect to the whole extension direction (+x direction) of theconductive layer 215 c as illustrated by arrows A1 and A2 in FIG. 10.When the substrate 100, etc. are bent in the bending area BA, a bendingaxis BAX (see FIG. 1) is approximately perpendicular to the extensioncentral axis ECA of the conductive layer 215 c. Therefore, a largetensile stress is applied to a portion of the conductive layer 215 cextending in the extension central axis ECA of the conductive layer 215c, in other words, a portion of the conductive layer 215 c extending inthe whole extension direction (+x direction) of the conductive layer 215c. In the case of the display device according to an exemplaryembodiment of the inventive concept, the extension directions in mostlocal regions of the conductive layer 215 c form a non-zero angle withrespect to the whole extension direction (+x direction) of theconductive layer 215 c. Therefore, the generation of a crack or thedisconnection, etc. in the conductive layer 215 c may be effectivelyprevented or minimized.

In addition, this configuration may be applied to the display deviceaccording to the above embodiment described with reference to FIG. 9. Inother words, as illustrated in FIG. 11, which is a plan viewillustrating a portion of a display device according to an exemplaryembodiment of the inventive concept, in addition to the configurationillustrated in FIG. 9, the first edge 215 ce 1 of the conductive layer215 c located on one side (−y direction) of the extension central axisECA has the first concave portions 215 cc 1 corresponding to theplurality of second through holes 215 d 2, and the second edge 215 ce 2of the conductive layer 215 c located on the other side (+y direction)of the extension central axis ECA has the second concave portions 215 cc2 corresponding to the plurality of first through holes 215 d 1.

Although the above embodiments illustrate that the plurality of throughholes 215 d have an approximately circular shape in a plan view, theinventive concept is not limited thereto. For example, the plurality ofthrough holes 215 d may have various shapes such as a quadrangularshape, a rhombus shape, a chamfered quadrangular shape, a chamferedrhombus shape, an elliptical shape, or a crushed circular shape in aplan view.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a portion of a displaydevice according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept.The display device the present embodiment is different from the displaydevice described with reference to FIG. 2 in that the organic layer 160does not have an integral shape in the bending area BA but has aplurality of islands 160 b filling a space between at least a portion ofthe inorganic insulating layer and spaced apart from each other. Theplurality of islands 160 b extend in the first direction (+y direction),in other words, the bending axis direction, and are spaced apart fromeach other in the second direction (+x direction) crossing the bendingaxis.

The conductive layer 215 c covers the plurality of islands 160 b and theshape of the upper surface of the conductive layer 215 c over theplurality of islands 160 b corresponds to the shape of the upper surfaceof the plurality of islands 160 b and thus the surface area of the uppersurface (+z direction) of the conductive layer 215 c increases. Inaddition, in this configuration, the locations of the plurality ofthrough holes 215 d of the conductive layer 215 c may be synchronizedwith the locations of the plurality of islands 160 b.

In this case, the protrusions of the uneven surface 160 a of the organiclayer 160 in the above embodiments may be considered to correspond tothe plurality of islands 160 b of the organic layer 160 in the presentembodiment. In addition, the concave portions between the protrusions ofthe uneven surface 160 a of the organic layer 160 in the aboveembodiments may be considered to correspond to spaces between theplurality of islands 160 b of the organic layer 160 in the presentembodiment. In view of this, the configuration of the conductive layer215 c in the above embodiments is also applicable to the conductivelayer 215 c of the display device according to the present embodiment.

In other words, similar to that shown in FIG. 3, the locations of theplurality of through holes 215 d may correspond to the plurality ofislands 160 b, or similar that shown in FIG. 4, the locations of theplurality of through holes 215 d may correspond to spaces between theplurality of islands 160 b, or similar to that shown in FIG. 5, thelocations of the plurality of through holes 215 d may correspond to boththe spaces between the plurality of islands 160 b and the plurality ofislands 160 b. In addition, the structure of the conductive layer 215 cdescribed with reference to FIGS. 6 to 11 is applicable to theconductive layer 215 c of the display device illustrated in FIG. 12.

In addition, up to now, only the case where the inorganic insulatinglayer includes an opening has been described but the inventive conceptis not limited thereto. For example, the inorganic insulating layer mayinclude a groove. For example, in the structure illustrated in FIG. 2 or12, the buffer layer 110 may not include an opening but instead includea shape that is continuous over the first region 1A, the bending areaBA, and the second region 2A, and only the gate insulating layer 120 andthe interlayer insulating layer 130 may have the opening 120 a and theopening 130 a, respectively. In this case, when the buffer layer 110,the gate insulating layer 120, and the interlayer insulating layer 130are referred to as an inorganic insulating layer, the inorganicinsulating layer may be understood to have a groove, and not an openingin the bending area BA. The opening 120 a of the gate insulating layer120 and the opening 130 a of the interlayer insulating layer 130 may beformed via one patterning process. For example, when forming contactholes in the gate insulating layer 120 and the interlayer insulatinglayer 130, respectively, to allow the source electrode 215 a and thedrain electrode 215 b of the TFT 210 to contact the semiconductor layer,the opening 120 a and the opening 130 a may be simultaneously formed. Inthis case, the inner surface of the opening 120 a of the gate insulatinglayer 120 may coincide with the inner surface of the opening 130 a ofthe interlayer insulating layer 130. In other words, the inner surfaceof the opening 120 a of the gate insulating layer 120 and the innersurface of the opening 130 a of the interlayer insulating layer 130 mayform a continuous plane.

In this case, the organic layer 160 in the above embodiments may fill atleast a portion of the groove of the inorganic insulating layer. Inother words, the organic layer 160 including the uneven surface 160 amay be located over the buffer layer 110 inside the bending area BA, orthe organic layer 160 including the plurality of islands 160 b spacedapart from each other may be located over the buffer layer 110 in thebending area BA. The structure of the conductive layer 215 c in theabove embodiments is applicable to this case.

Furthermore, a case where the inorganic insulating layer does notinclude an opening and a groove is also included in the scope of theinventive concept. For example, unlike the illustration of FIG. 2, likethat shown in FIG. 13, the buffer layer 110, the gate insulating layer120, and the interlayer insulating layer 130 may be continuous in thefirst region 1A, the bending area BA, and the second region 2A. Inaddition, the organic layer 160 is located over the substrate 100, forexample, the interlayer insulating layer 130, and includes the unevensurface 160 a in an upper surface thereof corresponding to the bendingarea BA. The uneven surface 160 a may include a plurality ofprotrusions. The structure of the conductive layer 215 c in the aboveembodiments is applicable to this case. In other words, the relationbetween the conductive layer 215 c and the organic layer 160 in theabove embodiments is applicable to this case.

In addition, the embodiment shown in FIG. 12 can be changed similar tothat shown in FIG. 13. For example, the buffer layer 110, the gateinsulating layer 120, and the interlayer insulating layer 130 in FIG. 12can be changed to be continuous in the first region 1A, the bending areaBA, and the second region 2A. In this case, the organic layer 160including the plurality of islands 160 b corresponding to at least thebending area BA and spaced apart from each other may be located over thesubstrate 100, for example, the interlayer insulating layer 130. Thestructure of the conductive layer 215 c in the above embodiments isapplicable to this case. In other words, the relation between theconductive layer 215 c and the organic layer 160 in the aboveembodiments is applicable to this case.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view illustrating a portion of a displaydevice, for example, the substrate 100 according to an exemplaryembodiment of the inventive concept. The bending area BA in the aboveembodiments is illustrated as a first bending area 1BA in FIG. 14 andthe substrate 100 is bent around a first bending axis 1BAX in the firstbending area 1BA.

Unlike the illustration of FIG. 1, the display device according to thepresent embodiment includes a second bending area 2BA in addition to thefirst bending area 1BA. The second bending area 2BA is located insidethe first region 1A. For example, the substrate 100 is bent, in thefirst bending area 1BA, around the first bending axis 1BAX extending inthe first direction (+y direction), and the substrate 100 is bent arounda second bending axis 2BAX extending in the second direction (+xdirection). In this case, the substrate 100 is chamfered at a corneradjacent to a portion at which the first bending axis 1BAX crosses thesecond bending axis 2BAX, and thus, the substrate 100 includes achamfered portion (CP). Since the chamfered portion CP exists, thesubstrate 100 may be simultaneously bent around the first bending axis1BAX and the second bending axis 2BAX crossing the first bending axis1BAX.

In this case, a curvature radius R1 in the first bending area 1BA isless than a curvature radius R2 in the second bending area 2BA. This maymean that the second bending area 2BA is not bent as much compared tothe first bending area 1BA. Therefore, in the second bending area 2BA inwhich the bending is slight, a tensile stress applied to elements of thedisplay device is relatively less than a tensile stress applied toelements in the first bending area 1BA. Therefore, the inorganicinsulating layer described in the above embodiments may be continuous inat least a portion including the second bending area 2BA of the firstregion 1A. Here, a configuration in which the inorganic insulating layeris continuous in at least the portion may mean that the inorganicinsulating layer may have contact holes for electrically connecting withconductive layers located over/below the inorganic insulating layerinside the first region 1A. The contact holes, etc. have a circularshape, an elliptical shape, a square shape, or a shape similar theretoin a plan view, and an opening or groove may have a rectangular shapehaving a very high aspect ratio in a plan view. The inorganic insulatinglayer may have an opening or groove in the second bending area 2BA. Inaddition, the second bending area 2BA may include the organic layer 160and the conductive layer 215 c similar to the configuration described inthe above embodiments.

Although FIG. 14 illustrates that a display device includes only thesecond bending area 2BA in addition to the first bending area 1BA, theinventive concept is not limited thereto. For example, as illustrated inFIG. 15, which is a perspective view illustrating a portion of a displaydevice according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept,the display device may include a third bending area 3BA and a fourthbending area 4BA in addition to the first bending area 1BA and thesecond bending area 2BA. In the display device having four edges, all ofthe four edges may be bent. In this case, the third bending area 3BA andthe fourth bending area 4BA may have the same/similar configurationas/to the second bending area 2BA.

The display device may allow a user to recognize that the area of aperipheral region in which an image is not displayed and a pad, etc. arelocated reduces when the user views a display surface of the displaydevice. This is accomplished by configuring the display device to bebent in the second bending area 2BA to the fourth bending area 4BA.Unlike the illustration of FIG. 14, the substrate may be bent in thefourth bending area 4BA at a same or similar curvature as that of acurvature in the first bending area 1BA.

A display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventiveconcept can minimize the occurrence of a defect such as disconnectionduring a manufacturing process thereby increasing a lifetime of thedisplay device.

While the inventive concept has been particularly shown and describedwith reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understoodby those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form anddetails may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scopeof the inventive concept as defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display device, comprising: a substratecomprising a bending area located between a first region and a secondregion and bent around a bending axis in the bending area; an organiclayer disposed over the substrate, an upper surface of the organic layercomprising an uneven surface in the bending area, the uneven surfacecomprising a plurality of protrusions; and a conductive layer extendingfrom the first region to the second region across the bending area, theconductive layer being located over the organic layer.
 2. The displaydevice of claim 1, further comprising: an inorganic insulating layerdisposed over the substrate and comprising an opening or a groove in thebending area, wherein the organic layer is disposed in a portion of theopening or the groove.
 3. The display device of claim 1, wherein a firstedge of the conductive layer located on a first side of an extensioncentral axis of the conductive layer comprises first concave portions,and a second edge of the conductive layer located on a second side ofthe extension central axis of the conductive layer comprises secondconcave portions.
 4. The display device of claim 3, wherein the firstconcave portions correspond one-to-one with the second concave portions.5. The display device of claim 3, wherein the first concave portions andthe second concave portions are alternately disposed in an extensiondirection of the conductive layer.
 6. The display device of claim 3,wherein each of the first concave portions faces a corresponding one ofthe second concave portions.
 7. A display device, comprising: asubstrate comprising a bending area located between a first region and asecond region and bent around a bending axis in the bending area; anorganic layer disposed over the substrate and comprising a plurality ofislands spaced apart from each other and disposed in the bending area;and a conductive layer extending from the first region to the secondregion across the bending area, the conductive layer being located overthe organic layer.
 8. The display device of claim 7, further comprising:an inorganic insulating layer disposed over the substrate and comprisingan opening or a groove in the bending area, wherein the organic layer isdisposed in a portion of the opening or the groove.
 9. The displaydevice of claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of islands extends in abending axis direction and the plurality of islands are spaced apartfrom each other in a direction crossing the bending axis direction. 10.The display device of claim 7, wherein a first edge of the conductivelayer located on a first side of an extension central axis of theconductive layer comprises first concave portions, and a second edge ofthe conductive layer located on a second side of the extension centralaxis of the conductive layer comprises second concave portions.
 11. Thedisplay device of claim 10, wherein the first concave portionscorrespond one-to-one with the second concave portions.
 12. The displaydevice of claim 10, wherein the first concave portions and the secondconcave portions are alternately disposed in an extension direction ofthe conductive layer.
 13. The display device of claim 10, wherein eachof the first concave portions faces a corresponding one of the secondconcave portions.